#duskstar727

[clangenrising]

June Featured Follower Post!

Congratulations to this month’s featured follower, @duskstar727! She has been leaving so many long, thoughtful, delightful comments recently and it's clear that they understand my characters very well.

The OC they asked me to highlight is Slatestar, a future character for her own ClanGen blog, @taleofturtleclan! I don't want to spoil too much of her story but this beautiful baby has so much on her shoulders and I adore her. I've heard that the blog is on an unofficial hiatus but you all should check it out and follow the blog to make sure you don't miss it when they stop posting again.

Next month I’ll pick another follower! I’ll be trying to pick people who reblog and comment so if you’re interested in being considered, that’s the way to get my attention. Please do not message me or ask to be featured.

A Special Thank You To My Patrons!

A massive, massive thank you to Autum_not_Fall, Daes, Abigalil Warner, and Saffronique! You guys make it possible for me to put more time and effort into RisingClan and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Want your name on these posts? Go check out my Patreon! Patreon members at the Sunrise Tier get their names on my Featured Follower Posts! In addition, all Patrons also get sneak peeks at upcoming pieces and Sunrise members get a unique illustration for every season. I’d love to see you there!

[fallenclan]

Teddyfluff, how are you settling into the Clan? Have you made any friends?

[wyrm-clangen]

Oh my god I read the last ask. And now Fiercechasm is mentoring one of Shineivy's kits. It probably feels like absolution to her, but also terrifying. Because on one hand, Riftstar is entrusting her with his son, and it feels like he's saying "I don't blame you for her death, I still trust you, I trust you so much that here is my son to train and teach and guide into adulthood" but on the other hand if anything, ANYTHING ever happens to Icypaw Fiercechasm feels that everything will come crashing down. Her actions led to Shineivy's death, and if that's repeated with Icypaw then it will feel like proof that she couldn't protect anyone, couldn't be trusted with anyone, not with Shineivy and not with her son. I also wonder if Icypaw resents Fiercechasm a little bit? He's still so young, reassurances like "it wasn't her fault, she was just there when it happened" don't mean much when you're a child and Fiercechasm was the last one to go out with your mother...

Every day of my life I just ask myself, why did Riftstar pick Fierce for Icypaw? Like, objectively it makes sense because the two have similar temperaments and Icy would probably benefit from someone he could relate to, but.

BUT RIFTSTAR. BUDDY. BESTIE. HAVE SOME TACT, MAYBE?

Goooood, Fiercechasm deserves a vacation and she's barely over a year old. Like, this feels like a weird punishment to both of them, despite Rift's probably good intentions?

[canon-notcanon-warriorcats]

Ok but what about a suffix that doesn't work with "Ash". I legit can't think of anything. Even Ashtoe sounds fine.

ashface sounds bad

[clangenrising]

I have a confession to make. When I found this blog (I think it was just after the first or second post), I wasn't a big fan of the real time updates thing. I mean, I certainly thought it was a cool idea, but I figured "it's going to take forever for anything to really happen, and the author will probably lose interest after the first six months." But that's not what happened at all. You've crafted an incredible story that is well paced and exciting, and each of your characters are unique and memorable. This is in large part because the real-time updates allows your readers to really sit with the characters and get to know them, to theorize about their futures. Like I'm more excited for the Oddlets to become warriors than I've been for anything else in any other Clangen blog, because we've watched them grow from kits for almost a year now. It makes everything much more meaningful and exciting. Thank you for crafting such a beautiful story!!

Thank you!!

Yeah, I think there's something to be said for delayed gratification and the way it helps build a story into something more meaningful and memorable. Its like how I ruined my first D&D campaign because I couldn't wait for the fun stuff and then it wasn't as satisfying as it could have been because I rushed it and there's wasn't any build up to pay off.

I'm so glad the story has managed to capture so many people's attention and make them happy. That's all I could have asked for.

[clangenrising]

This might be a weird thing to say and I may have said something similar before (recovering from anesthesia so I'm slightly out of it) but I seriously respect and admire how polite but firm you've been with your boundaries in interacting with us. I feel like 99% of the other Clangen blogs out there (and this is by NO MEANS any hate towards them whatsoever, there are some really fantastic stories being told out there) have the tendency to... not pander, exactly, but let their followers have a pretty high level of involvement in terms of confirming headcanons, answering questions in character, or even just making themselves available for consultation on questions like the one you declined to answer about the fanfic. There's nothing wrong with that, it lends itself to building a different kind of story, one that is more collaborative, but not all stories are designed to be told it has definitely given some well-meaning fans Expectations about how they can interact with other Clangen bloggers, and I admire the way you stand your ground on not running your blog or interacting with us in that way. It gives me hope that we can all choose to tell our own stories and succeed at building an audience without having to do things the same way. My own Clangen blog that has been on (unannounced lol) hiatus for a few months now never took off because I didn't get involved in the constant reblogging of other Clangen blogs to encourage like treatment and increase popularity, and it felt a bit discouraging that I wasn't really able to build an audience without running my blog that way. Not to say I was just creating for the sake of others, but it definitely sucked to spend sometimes hours on an art piece and story only to get like. 14 notes. So it's really nice to see that you have in fact been able to tell your story your way without playing that game, without letting your fans cross boundaries that they assumed due to their other experiences you wouldn't have. You are very much an author and storyteller, not a content creator trying to curate a fan base, and I respect that.

Thank you, that means a lot to me. I'm glad I could be a source of hope for you. I wish you luck and inspiration with your own creative endeavors!

Also, I got another ask being critical of that response that I deleted out of principle because I don't publish hate mail but I think maybe here I can clarify something. When I said I was a public figure, I didn't mean to imply I was famous or overly important or anything, just that you, my audience, don't know me personally and you aren't entitled to my time and energy. I appreciate asks that show interest in my work but I don't want to become beholded to my asks, like the person above describes. I appreciate all of you who understand and respect that.

[clangenrising]

Hmmm do I sense the potential for a bit of a love triangle developing between Aldertail, Oscar and Oddstripe? Oscar seems very cool, gallant even! Hoping to see more of her in future.

Could be! Who knows, we'll have to see :3c

And yes, I already really like Oscar as a character. Don't worry, we'll see her again.

[clangenrising]

Maaan this piece... this piece. The interaction between Scorch and Fogpaw. Absolutely phenomenal.

I think it's the first time that someone in RisingClan has been willing to interact with Scorch through her own worldview instead of trying to convince her it's wrong, and it seems to be a much more effective way to reach her. Because Goldenstar might be able to say "that's not the way things work here, not everything is a transaction, I give to you without necessarily expecting anything in return, I give to you because I love you for you," and while it's deeply important for Scorch to hear that, I think that right now, part of her is just going to write it off as naivety, as Goldenstar not understanding the way the world "really" is. But then there is Fogpaw. Who has lost much already, but is still innocent in other ways. Fogpaw who is willing and eager to learn from Scorchplume, and who doesn't really understand what Scorch's transactional worldview means when applied broadly, but is willing to speak to Scorch in those terms. So when Scorch says, "hey, I could betray you too," she is trying to teach Fogpaw that NOBODY is safe, not even her, because giving anyone your complete trust lets them have too much control over you. But then there is Fogpaw's reply: "if everything is a transaction, if everyone is just trying to get ahead, then in fact I CAN trust you because you would gain nothing from betraying me. By your own rules you are safe for me to trust because I have nothing to take away. I'm just a kid." (Thats my interpretation at least). It's a reply that so deeply displays Fogpaw's innocence, the fact that she doesn't conceptualize all the ways in which an adult could stand to gain from manipulating a minor, but she is speaking to Scorch in terms that actually get through. It's a much more effective way of telling Scorch "I trust you completely, I know you won't hurt me" than just coming out and saying that. Idk maybe I'm just babbling but it got to me. And think that in training Fogpaw, Scorch is unwittingly beginning another part of her healing that is so, so vital to developing a healthier worldview. I love them and cannot wait to see what is next for them.

50 RisingBucks for a spot on character analysis!

I love how you phrase that, "giving someone your complete trust gives them too much control over you" like Fuck! Thats Scorch in a nutshell! It wasn't really conscious when I was writing it but you're so right, the fact that Fogpaw buys in to Scorchplume’s transactional world view but still says "I have no reason not to trust you" is so much better at reaching her than what Goldie says. Its so interesting, I love it